In my quest for an airhead I looked at a nice bike this weekend. Unfortunately we could not come together on a price. I went in with values for the bike based off of NADA and KBB values which didn't meet the sellers expectations.

I will say the bike was very nice and rode well. I gave it the highest value I could based on KBB and NADA and even a little more and was disappointed we could not come to agreement.

So, I know anything is worth what you are willing to pay for it, but how do the rest of you determine what a motorcycle is worth? Is KBB and NADA a reasonable source to determine what the value is, or are there other resources?

I would not look at either of those books when coming up with what an old bike sells for. They are way off most time on real world values.

Best thing to do is look at ebay, craigslist, etc. to at least see what the asking prices are. Then come here to get some real world opinions on the value of the bike in question.

Checking asking prices has no meaning compared to seeing actual sales prices. Search completed auctions. Over the course of several months you will see not even 1 in 5 airheads sell, and you will see what the real market is for the various ones that actually sell. That is the real market value whether you like it or not.

And ebay is not always the best source. I have seen alot of people have friends run the price up on auctions. You can usually tell when you look at the bidding history and see new users or zero feedback bidders involved. Most times those bikes pop up repeatedly. Research is the best answer. I know nothing about airheads, so I asked just this weekend for input on a value. With Triumphs and BSAs I watch and look constantly, so I have more of a grasp what they should bring.

Time of year and location come into factor as well. If a buyer on ebay is local they will most likely pay $500 more for a bike they can drive and pick up. Shipping is a major price factor. I have seen several bikes I would love to have at good prices, but when you figure 5-800 to ship it, its not such a good deal.

In my quest for an airhead I looked at a nice bike this weekend. Unfortunately we could not come together on a price. I went in with values for the bike based off of NADA and KBB values which didn't meet the sellers expectations.

I will say the bike was very nice and rode well. I gave it the highest value I could based on KBB and NADA and even a little more and was disappointed we could not come to agreement.

So, I know anything is worth what you are willing to pay for it, but how do the rest of you determine what a motorcycle is worth? Is KBB and NADA a reasonable source to determine what the value is, or are there other resources?

Thanks in advance.

Mark

"So, I know anything is worth what you are willing to pay for it" Exactly! especially with old bikes.

In my quest for an airhead I looked at a nice bike this weekend. Unfortunately we could not come together on a price. I went in with values for the bike based off of NADA and KBB values which didn't meet the sellers expectations.

I will say the bike was very nice and rode well. I gave it the highest value I could based on KBB and NADA and even a little more and was disappointed we could not come to agreement.

So, I know anything is worth what you are willing to pay for it, but how do the rest of you determine what a motorcycle is worth? Is KBB and NADA a reasonable source to determine what the value is, or are there other resources?

Thanks in advance.

Mark

from google... type example: 1989 R100GS site:craigslist.org

this will deliver a national search of all craigslist listings limited to XXX

absolutely the best real time research tool to determine fair price. not infallible for rare models.